


Snake Eyes

by theSinTin



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Cannibalism, Don't worry Kylo won't eat his pet human, I mean is it if Kylo isn't human?, Lamia, M/M, Naga, Naga AU, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Snakes, implied minor character death, rating is for the last chapter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-23
Updated: 2018-04-06
Packaged: 2018-12-18 21:17:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11882994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theSinTin/pseuds/theSinTin
Summary: Hux knows this forest like the back of his hand, or at least he thought he did until he meets a certain snarky Naga who takes an interest in him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I started this months ago but seeing the recent Kylux Naga hype got me excited to finish it. As with my other fic, this au is also based on an original naga species I have.

Hux was _not_ lost. 

He knew exactly where he was, he had walked through this forest several times before. He recognized that twisted branch, he thought. He vaguely recalled that large boulder covered in moss, didn’t he? He remembered that creek, well maybe not this part of that creek. But he knew where he was going.

Definitely.

He did not know where he was going. 

Hux groaned as he scrubbed his hands down his face. He could already feel his delicate skin starting to burn, regardless of the amount of sunblock he had applied. His backpack weighed a ton on his back, filled with only the most necessary items for his travel and yet weighed heavily on him.

The canopy above did nothing to protect him from the sun overhead. Hux was not a stranger to the outdoors, especially since his job as as nature photographer at the First Order nature magazine demanded he spend most of his waking hours outside. The camera he used on a daily basis was packed safely away in his backpack, no doubt adding significantly to the weight on his back. 

It was actually his off weekend, he often would visit this local forest to test different shot angles and find new areas. He certainly succeeded in that regard this outing, but he had actually been trying to find the usual camp site he would stay at. Which he was apparently no where near as he didn’t recognize a single thing. He must have gotten turned around when he had seen those deer in the forest, having tried to take a few quick shots, but they had scampered off before he could even get his camera out of his bag, typical. 

But now, because of those deer, he was hopelessly lost. Well, not hopelessly. Except maybe he kind of was, considering his phone had no signal and he forgot his compass, because naturally he would forget his compass on this particular outing.

Hux knew this stream though, and that was probably his safest bet to find somewhere he did know. He made his way closer to the shore, this was a calmer part of the stream than what he was used to. Glancing into the calm waters, he saw his reflection look back: pale skin on his face turned a shade of pink, he was definitely burning. His orange fiery hair was falling loose from the gel and sticking to his temples with sweat. Tired, green eyes begged him for a break. But alas, if he wanted a break, he needed to find the campsite.

Hux leaned down towards the water, cupping a handful and splashing his face. It felt nice, at least. Just a little bit to cool him off. He wanted to take a break badly, but he knew he could only rest once he found more familiar territory.

It wasn’t like he was in any immediate danger. Well, he sort of was. This forest was known for its wildlife, having a variety of bears, mountain lions, wolves, and other creatures. Not to mention the reports of travelers going missing in this particular forest. Hux had never paid those much mind, since he knew the forest so well, how could he get lost? 

Now Hux found those reports at the front of his mind. What always made those reports stick to him was the fact that oftentimes the missing travelers bodies were never found. Only parts of what they were carrying were found: wallets, some articles of clothing, backpacks that looked like they were torn apart and searched. Hux always reasoned that an animal found them before the rangers did, or another traveler. People wandering too far into the more dangerous parts of this forest, it was to be expected. 

Hux had gotten so lost in his own thoughts, recalling the stories, he only vaguely heard the rustling in the bushes nearby. What jarred him out of his thoughts was the branch snapping. Hux immediately looked up from the stream, turning his head to look at his surroundings. He saw nothing in particular, but now he was only feeding his paranoia.

Hux stood once more, readjusting his backpack before walking up the stream. Judging by the position of the sun, he assumed he was going in the right direction at least. The stream should lead him to the normal camping site. 

It was a half hour more before he decided to take another break. This time though, he took the backpack off, as well as his socks and shoes to let his feet cool off in the stream. He immediately felt the relief flood him, he couldn’t be all that far off now, he almost felt like he recognized this part of the stream now. Looking ahead, he thought he could see a clearing in the trees. He was almost there, finally.

The stream was heavier here, water crashing against the banks. The roar of the water muffled his hearing, filling his ears with the loud noise. This, unlike last time, unfortunately prevented him from hearing the rustling in the bushes behind him. It also didn’t help that Hux was watching a few squirrels across the stream fight over who knew what. It was mesmerizing seeing them twitch their tails while chasing one another.

It happened just as Hux had decided his break was over. He had pulled his feet out of the water and was reaching for a towel to dry off on when he felt something hit his side, hard. He was immediately knocked to the softer earth of the bank, yelping in surprise before having a weight placed over his body. Panic took over, eyes darting, trying to catch what had hit him when his face was pushed into the dirt, something coiling around his legs and moving up his body.

His vision partially blocked, Hux realized there was a hand holding his head down. Not really an ordinary hand. This one was covered in what appeared to be black and red scales, and sharp claws from where fingernails would normally lay. Hux looked up, trying to see the head of the creature that had grabbed him. He was met with a surprisingly human face, for the most part. The face appeared human, though had some differences. It sported a large nose, brown eyes, and plush lips. But its ears were large and pointed, much like a fantasy elf’s ears, and on its lips large fangs seemed to just poke out of its mouth. There were also small patches of scales sprouting from the skin on his cheeks, under its eyes, and down its neck. To add to the strange features, Hux could just make out a scar that ran down the right side of the creature’s face.

As Hux was too shocked by the attack to react, the slithery thing coiling around his ankles made it to his waist. Hux opened his mouth finally, realizing if he shouted someone, _anyone_ , may hear him. He was about to attempt a cry, when the creature slammed its hand over his mouth. Looking up, Hux saw the creature glaring at him, readjusting their position on the ground. Hux was moved to his back, creature still holding a clawed hand over his mouth, their bodies pressed together at the chests. But now Hux could see down and examine the creature, and what he saw made his head spin. 

The thing slithering around his lower half was a snake tail, and the snake tail was a part of the creature, replacing its legs. The rest of it seemed fairly human, much like a rather well built human male. But again, the patches of scales, claws, and snake half told a very different story. Hux felt a sense of panic take over as that tail was still coiling him, soon trapped his arms in the coils as well.

The creature held him down with its weight and strength, making sure that its prey couldn’t escape. Hux was trapped, utterly helpless as this creature looked down at him, pointed ears twitching to attention as it examined Hux’s face. Seeing the creature head on, staring into its eyes, Hux noticed the eyes were almost similar to cat eyes. Pupils turning to slits in brighter light or widening into circles when examining something. As it was now, staring at Hux.

Hux was at least ninety nine percent sure he was about to die. At least he was, until the creature brought its other hand up to Hux’s head, running its claws through his gelled hair. Internally, Hux groaned as the creature ruined the hard work he put into his hair that morning, before remembering he was in a life or death situation. The creature certainly seemed curious of his hair at least, kept stroking its fingers through his locks and pulling more out of the gelling.

Then the creature pulled its hand off of Hux’s mouth, which would have allowed Hux to talk if the creature hadn’t immediately pressed a clawed finger between his lips. Hux made a panicked whine, feeling the creature press his mouth open, looking inside as if he was a dentist giving him his biannual checkup. He seemed particularly interested in his tongue, which wasn’t exactly comforting especially when Hux could feel the sharp claw tip press into the flesh of it. The creature’s curiosity of his mouth only made sense after Hux saw its tongue come out, forked and black, flicking out to taste the air much like a snake’s would.

Soon the creature withdrew from his mouth, sitting up and looking around the area. Hux was tempted to shout for help now, but seeing as the creature wasn’t immediately trying to kill him, he held hope that he could escape another way silently. Before he could consider the thought more, he felt the creature coil tighter around him and they started to move. The creature’s human half pulled them towards the trees of the forest, surprisingly quick considering half its body was coiled around Hux and being dragged behind it. 

Looking behind him, Hux couldn’t help the shout. “My bag,” he cried out, being pulled away from his backpack and shoes. It was foolish, drawing attention to himself like that. But something inside of him demanded he get his bag, maybe it was the knowledge that his very expensive camera was in there and if they were close enough to the campsite, someone else may find the bag before he could.

His cry made the creature pause, surprising Hux. The creature turned its body around, looking at Hux and then at the bag. He swore he saw the beast roll its eyes, before turning its human half around and slithering towards the bag and grabbing it. 

It understood English?

“Where are you taking me?” Hux asked as they were on the move again, having entered the forest. His body dragged against the brush of the forest ground, dried leaves and dirt being kicked up into his face. He groaned at how dirty he would be when this was over, if he lived.

The creature didn’t answer, though it did turn back to glare at Hux. The glare spoke more words than needed, Hux immediately knew to stop talking. It understood English, but it didn’t mean it could speak it.

Hux was dragged against the ground for what seemed like ten minutes, before he noticed the creature stop in front of a tree. The tree seemed old, thick trunk and a high top. Hux didn’t have time to examine it before he saw the creature drop Hux’s bag at the trunk and begin crawling up the base.

“Fuck,” Hux groaned as his face was thrown against the trunk, bark rubbing against his face as he was dragged up the tree. Hux was honestly almost impressed that the creature was climbing the tree while having a human sized prey coiled up in its tail. Hux tried to push that thought out of mind, however, since he still wasn’t sure what the creature was planning to do with him. Of course it planned on eating him, most likely. Though he wondered why the creature was taking so long to do it, why not just kill him on the ground so he’d be less of a hassle getting up into the tree? He’d ask but he was convinced now that the beast wouldn’t appreciate his comments.

Hux was suddenly reminded of his fear of heights when he was a good ten feet off the ground. Then twenty, and then he couldn’t look down without panicking more than he already was. He tried to look up instead, seeing the creature grab onto a thick branch and pulling itself over. Hux soon followed.

He was in a thick canopy now, closer to seeing the sun as compared to the forest floor. It was bright up here, the creature’s black scales shining bright in contrast to the green of the canopy. Hux noticed now that the underside of the snake was similar to that of the red bellied snake, though this creature was much larger than what those small garden snakes could grow to be. Even with the scales covering the beast’s arms and hands, the under sides were red and the top black. On the creature’s torso, the scales ranged between black and red in patches, no true pattern obvious in the ununiformed portions.

The creature’s ears flicked to attention as he looked at Hux again. The beast turned around, facing his coiled prey but rested down on the bed of leaves and branches comfortably on his back. As if examining Hux, the creature loosened the coils keeping Hux in place with just a large portion of the tail covering his chest and arms. The creature seemed to turn Hux around in its grasp, turning his head much like a curious dog. Hux was powerless to stop being turned every which way by the beast, sighing with annoyance as he was flipped. 

“Have you never seen a human before or something?” Hux complained as the creature approached him and grabbed hold of his bare foot, Hux unable to put his socks back on before he was kidnapped.

“Don’t normally keep them alive this long,” the creature replied, much to Hux’s surprise. Hux noticed the creature dragged out the ‘s’ sound as it spoke.

“You can talk?” Hux asked the creature, annoyed how it didn’t reply earlier.

“Clearly,” the creature said, sounding annoyed. He was currently pushing and pulling at each of Hux’s toes.

“What the hell are you then?” Hux shot back, just as annoyed. He knew he shouldn’t push his luck, but really, he didn’t want to be played with like a doll.

“Naga,” the snake said simply. His clawed fingers were now trying to examine his legs, pushing on the fabric of Hux’s pants to try and uncover more. He rubbed at the leg hair that was exposed curiously.

Naga? Like a mythical creature, naga? This couldn’t be happening. More so, if this was happening, he wouldn’t imagine it happening in a local forest in North America. South America, maybe. Even Africa. Not in the well explored wilderness of North America. “How are you even real?”

The beast made a face in response, pushing his human half onto his coils to look Hux in the face again. “How are you real?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Hux complained.

“You’re human, right?” The naga started, “You’re just some sad excuse for a naga, don’t even have a tail and can’t take an animal down on your own. No claws, no fangs, no tail. Your species has no right imitating mine if you’re not anywhere near as powerful as us.”

Hux was taken back by the rant, left speechless. So the naga continued. “You even have the audacity of using our language, I normally take pleasure in eating your sort for that reason.” The creature stuck his tongue out and licked his lips quickly, his tongue a flash against his mouth. Smiling a toothy fanged smile, it spoke, “Although, either way, you humans _are_ rather delicious.”

Well at least Hux could confirm he was about to be eaten. Or fall to his death from the canopy, whichever came first. “You have it all backwards, snake.” Hux snapped, not even caring about antagonizing the creature now that he knew he was going to die anyway. “You’re not even supposed to exist, nagas aren’t real. You’re speaking English, a human language. You’re a human with a snake tail, humans don’t imitate you. You’re just a disgusting beast,” Hux said with a grimace. He was annoyed mostly because the creature, and himself, were both covered in dirt from the drag up the tree and through the forest. “When was even the last time you washed yourself? Disgusting.”

The creature actually froze, looking at Hux with fat pupils. Hux was sure he was about to get a clawed hand across his face for his comments. But it never came. Instead the creature seemed to be smiling.

“You’re a feisty one,” the creature seemed to chuckle. He resumed his studying of Hux, keeping a strong hold on parts he wasn’t examining. He pulled an arm free to start examining his hand, coiling his tail around his legs instead now. “Normally your kind would be crying at this point, and yet here you are insulting me.”

Hux made a face as the creature examined his fingernails. “I’m more scared of my own boss than I am of you, you stupid animal.” Hux growled at the creature. “Besides, you’re not even trying to eat me yet. Just playing with your food, like a child.” Hux mentally wondered why he was still antagonizing the beast, but the creature seemed to be amused by it more than anything.

The beast smiled again in response, tilting his head as he released his arm. “What’s your name, Human?”

“Do you normally ask your meals their name?” Hux shot back, huffing when the creature just glared in response. “Hux.”

“Hux?” The creature asked, dragging out the ‘x’ sound.

“Hux, yes.” Hux replied. He wasn’t going to tell this beast his first name. The thing probably didn’t even understand first and last names.

“I go by Kylo Ren,” the naga supplied unprompted, giving Hux an actual introduction. 

“I didn’t think a snake would have a surname,” Hux commented.

“Why wouldn’t we?” Kylo asked. Hux simply shrugged in response, unsure how to reply, then noticing the creature was slowly uncoiling him until Hux was just resting on a bed of his tail. Ren probably figured Hux wouldn’t try to escape, or risk falling to his death. “You’re the first human I’ve actually spoken to, I didn’t think humans had last names.”

“We do,” Hux replied simply. He still didn’t plan on telling Ren his first name, hopefully he would think that was what he’d given.

Ren stared at Hux in silence, again tilting his head like a dog. Hux stared back, not sure what to say once again. He was stuck up here, though not necessarily trapped. Ren seemed relaxed in staring at Hux, though also seemed like he wanted to talk more. It was strange, talking to something so human, and yet, not. After the silence had grown more than uncomfortable, Hux spoke again. “So, if you don’t talk to humans,why are you talking to me?” Hux asked. Kylo only turned his head more, confused. Hux gave an annoyed huff, “Why aren’t you trying to eat me?”

“Do you want me to eat you?” Ren asked with a toothy grin. Those fangs were rather intimidating. 

“Hardly,” Hux replied, “doesn’t answer my question.”

Ren seemed to glare at him, as if trying to answer the question with it. Hux wasn’t accepting that answer, and glared right back. They locked gazes, until Ren finally gave in. “You’re different,” Kylo supplied, crossing his arms over his chest. “You’re not scared of me. You seemed annoyed by this more than anything. It’s strange, you’re strange.”

“I’ll have you know that you’re technically the strange one.” Hux pointed out. “As I said before, you’re not supposed to exist.”

“Clearly I do,” Kylo growled, sounding more than annoyed for a moment. “You humans are the pathetic creatures that aren’t supposed to exist.”

“You’re the only naga I’ve ever even heard of, and I’ve met countless of my own kind. You’re the strange thing here.” Hux pressed.

“There’s plenty of my sort,” Kylo huffed. “The only humans I see here don’t last long, because your kind isn’t setup to take on something like me.” Kylo smirked, “I mean, I caught you.”

Cocky bastard. “If I had the proper equipment, I have no doubt I’d be able to win in a fight with you. You’re just some dumb creature that catches humans off guard and tries to use that as reasoning for superiority.” Hux really should stop trying to rile the beast up…

“I should just eat you then, so I don’t let you have that chance.” Ren growled, though he held a cocky grin on his face. He didn’t seem to take this seriously at all.

Hux rolled his eyes in response. “I don’t think you’re going to,” Hux challenged. “If you don’t plan to, you should just let me on my way already, instead of playing with me.”

Ren grimaced in response. “Who says I’m just going to let you go? You’re different, I’m curious yes. But you’re not free to go because of that.”

Openly groaning, Hux leaned back on Ren’s tail. “Seriously?” He complained. “Just let me go you beast, I wouldn’t even make that good of a meal so what’s the point?”

“You wouldn’t,” Ren commented, before moving his tail in just a way that brought Hux closer to him. Hux tried to shift away, but Ren just coiled him closer and brought himself flush to Hux’s chest, making Hux’s already pink face turn bright red. “You’re awfully warm, at the very least.” Ren replied, resting his head on Hux’s shoulder.

Of all the things that Hux was expecting from the creature, a hug was not one of them. Though Hux could hardly call this a hug, more like an embrace with death itself. He could feel the clawed fingers digging into the fabric on his back, the man sniffing his neck curiously and feeling that forked tongue dart out for a taste. Worst part was probably how absolutely cold Ren was. He felt like he was swimming in that stream, the cold water sapping all the heat from his body. It was strange, but almost pleasant in the heat of the forest.

Hux wanted to make another biting comment, insult the creature and barter for his freedom, but being hugged by the creature made him quiet, unable to speak. Mostly he didn’t want to fully recognize the situation he was in, as strange as everything already was. Hugging the snake was not on his list of things he expected when he was initially knocked to the ground by it.

Eventually it was Ren himself who pulled back, flicking his tongue one last time against the human. The pointed ears again flicked in attention, Ren’s pupils fat with curiosity as he looked over Hux’s body. Hux stiffened when he felt clawed fingers messing with the buttons on his shirt, making him pull away from the beast.

“What’s with all the cloth on you humans?” Ren asked, using his tail again to bring Hux back to him. The creature’s claws were once again fiddling with the buttons, apparently trying to undo them. 

“W-What about them?” Hux tried to ask, nerves finally getting him. 

“Why do you humans always wear so much?” Ren asked again. “Every one of you I’ve caught was covered in the stuff, why do you need it if you’re already so warm?”

“We still get cold,” Hux tried to explain, gently trying to push the creature’s fingers away, wary of upsetting him. “It helps us stay this warm, protects our skin from the sun.”

“Interesting,” Ren replied, fingers going back to the buttons, undeterred. “What are these?”

“Buttons, they help keep the clothes on,” Hux tried to explain weakly, pushing Ren’s fingers away again. “Stop, I’m not taking this off.”

Ren made a face, but seemed to have listened. So instead he redirected his attention to Hux’s legs, pushing the fabric of his pants up and away to expose his legs. “You have hair here,” Ren seemed to laugh, brushing against it with his claw tips. 

“Yeah, on the arms too,” Hux pointed out, as if it was obvious but then realized, Ren’s arms were instead covered in scales. The only place he had hair was on his head and underarms, so it made sense for him to be confused. 

“So weird,” Ren smiled, actually _smiled_. Not a cruel smile or one of mockery, he seemed curious and happy about the discovery. 

Hux was quiet, letting Ren explore his body. He wasn’t sure what was going on still, if he was still going to get eaten or if he was going to be let go. But maybe if he let Ren have his fun, answer his questions, he might be able to get out of this alive. Hux hoped, at least.

Hux’s skin had turned more and more red as Ren explored. Hux let him, only protesting when he got too close to his groin or tried to remove clothes. He even let the creature touched his ears and weirdly enough _sniff_ his hair. He rolled his eyes when the snakeman got in his face to examine his eyes closely, apparently curious of the human, non-slitted eyes Hux sported. He huffed when he felt Kylo poking at his cheeks, touching his defined cheekbones.

“You got nice eyes,” the creature commented, before his fingers poked at his lips again. 

“Thanks?” Hux replied, before groaning when Kylo stuck his finger into his parted lips. 

“Your tongue is weird, why is it pink? Where are your fangs? What’s even the point of being like this, why are humans like this?” Kylo asked all at once, having a lot of thoughts at once. 

“I don’t know, Kylo,” Hux replied after pulling the hand from his mouth. “I think it’d take me years to explain why we’re like this, I don’t exactly have years here.”

Hux saw the other man roll his eyes this time, turning away from him. “It is getting late, huh?” Kylo commented, looking to the sun. “I was hunting when I caught you, I guess I should finally eat…”

Hux frowned at that, seeing Kylo staring at him. Hux’s heart sank, maybe his ‘be nice to the snake man’ plan wasn’t going as well as he’d thought.

Before Hux could even finish his thoughts, he felt himself being pulled and pushed by the tail he was laying on. He was suddenly pushed to Kylo’s back then, Hux grabbing on in reflex. “Grab on,” Kylo instructed, which Hux obeyed in fear of falling as he saw Kylo moving back to the trunk of the tree.

Hux had thought the way up the tree was bad, it was nothing compared to the way down. Hux locked his arms and legs together around Kylo’s torso, feeling like a baby koala in that moment but he couldn’t help it as he pressed his face into his neck.

Apparently travel was a lot quicker with Kylo when the beast wasn’t coiled around a human sized prey. Before Hux even realized it, he felt Kylo stop. Hux didn’t open his eyes for a few good moments, before Kylo nudged him gently with a finger.

Hux opened his eyes and saw they were on the ground, Ren coiled up on himself comfortably next to the tree they had just spent an hour in. Hux slowly detached himself, since Kylo wasn’t forcing him off with his tail or anything. His legs were wobbly from the stress, taking a moment to balance himself by sitting on Kylo’s long tail. Ren made a face as if annoyed at Hux for using his tail as balance, but it couldn’t be helped.

“So…” Hux started, after shaking off the surprise of riding on a snake a _second_ time.

“Yes, you’re free,” Hux saw Kylo roll his eyes with the comment.

“Just like that?” Hux asked, slightly confused and a bit dubious of the situation.

“You’re too scrawny to eat, and you answered my questions. Call us even,” Kylo said, before bumping up his tail where Hux was seated to encourage him to get off. “The grounds your humans nest at are over that way,” Kylo pointed for Hux to see.

Hux got up, turning to find his bag that Kylo had dumped at the base of the tree and started to put it on. He would still have to go to the river and get his shoes, but at least Kylo told him where the camp grounds were. Turning, he saw Kylo staring at him still as he righted himself. The creature’s head was tilted curiously at him again, so Hux stared back.

“So I guess this is goodbye?” Hux asked as he started the slow walk back to the creak, his feet protested as he stepped on twigs and leaves.

“Goodbye, Hux,” the snake man replied, before slithering back up the tree, leaving Hux completely unsure that the whole experience had even happened, especially as he lost sight of those black and red scales.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hux goes back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo I disappeared for a few months... lol
> 
> Sorry for the wait on this, I hope you enjoy!

_One week later_

Mentally, things still hadn’t settled for Hux. 

His mind simply couldn’t comprehend meeting a literal mythical creature. Nagas didn’t exist, they were made up. They certainly didn’t exist in a forest in North America. They couldn’t speak English, and they certainly couldn’t be as touchy as Kylo was. And yet, they were. Kylo Ren the Naga existed and lived an hour and a half away from Hux’s house. 

Hux hadn’t even told anyone yet. How could he? If he didn’t think Kylo existed, how could anyone else? How could he admit to someone that he had almost got eaten by a snake man but managed to escape. How did he even escape? He doubted that the beast had intended on letting him go from the start, especially with how rough he was with Hux initially. Hux couldn’t even explain why he was still alive, going to work on a Monday morning as if nothing had happened. 

After his encounter with Kylo, Hux had managed to go to the camping area as directed, but he couldn’t settle, not knowing he had nearly escaped death. So instead of staying the weekend, as he originally intended, he walked back to his car after a rest and drove home. It was a long drive, especially after making the initial drive there not long before, but there was no way Hux would be able to realistically sleep knowing there was a black and red snake-person out there. 

There was nothing else for it, so Hux simply returned to work the following Monday morning and pretended that nothing had happened. A week passed like that, just going through the motions. He edited his photos from the last trip to South America he took, submitted his edits, and helped other people in the office with theirs. It felt so normal. 

Hux could continue pretending life was normal right? He wasn’t necessarily scared of what happened, well he sort of was. But probably not as scared as he supposed he should be following meeting a snake man who ate people.

“Everything okay?” Mitaka asked from next to him. Hux hadn’t even realized Mitaka had sat at the lunch table. A quiet laugh came from the mousy man, smiling, “Normally I’m the one shaking.”

Was Hux shaking? “It’s nothing,” Hux lied, putting his sandwich down.

“I doubt that.” Mitaka replied. “You seem off. I’ve never seen you shake before, not even when staring down a crocodile five feet away. Or worse, talking to Snoke.” That managed to get Hux to laugh, but he still avoided eye contact with the other man. “Something going on outside of work or something?”

Mitaka was a sweet man, Hux could almost consider him a friend. Almost. Hux didn’t really have friends, mostly acquaintances. Maybe the other man would believe him? Maybe talking to someone would help. Better than stewing in it, Hux assumed. “Can I tell you something?” Hux asked, looking to Mitaka.

“Of course,” the other man replied, giving a gentle smile.

“Well,” Hux started, looking down at his phone. He had been reading missing hiker reports since the incident, trying to help confirm that what happened had actually happened. “You’ve seen these reports, correct?” Hux asked as he unlocked his phone and showed Mitaka the most recent one. Which, scarily enough, happened the same weekend that Hux had been in the forest. 

“Yes,” Mitaka replied, frowning. “Very unfortunate, those have been popping up more and more haven’t they?” 

“Yes, well,” Hux started, locking his phone again. “I was there that weekend,” Hux admitted. “Something unusual happened to me…”

“Unusual?” Mitaka asked, leaning in curiously. 

“Yes,” Hux continued, looking at Mitaka. “I met a creature in the woods. Or rather, I was kidnapped by a creature. I don’t know how I survived, but I think it’s what’s causing all those missing persons cases.”

“A creature,” Mitaka asked, looking at Hux dubiously. 

“A, well. Naga,” Hux bit his lip, seeing Mitaka’s eyes widen. “He had the torso of a man, but a snake tail. I know it sounds impossible, but-”

“You’re pulling my leg,” Mitaka accused.

“I’m not,” Hux replied. “The beast knocked me down and coiled me. I don’t know how I escaped but-”

“Hux, come on,” Mitaka replied, sounding more annoyed and glaring at him. “I don’t think it’s really appropriate to make a joke about those missing people…”

“I’m not joking,” Hux growled back. “Mitaka, why would I joke about that?”

“I mean, you’ve had a sick sense of humor in the past,” Mitaka pointed out. “But that’s not really okay to joke about-”

“It’s not a joke,” Hux slammed a hand on the table. He caught the attention of a few other coworkers, but their eyes soon left him. “I almost died. I could have been one of those missing people, I don’t know how or why I got away. But this creature, he could speak. He decided to let me go, he-”

“A naga?” Mitaka asked, looking at Hux more dubiously than before, if that were possible.

“Yes, half snake. He told me he ate people, he threatened to eat me but he let me go and I don’t understand why-” Hux stopped suddenly, seeing Mitaka’s face. “You don’t believe me.”

“Why would I?” Mitaka asked. “Do you have a picture? Proof? This is ridiculous, how could I believe there’s a half snake man living in a forest that eats people?”

Hux scowled, mostly because Mitaka was right. He had no proof and his accusations were impossible to prove without a picture, scales, blood, something. It was frustrating to realize that there was no way to prove something did happen to him.

“I don’t,” Hux admitted. “But-”

“Just drop it,” Mitaka replied, going back to eating his food. “Unless you have a picture, it’s not cool to claim there’s a monster eating people who are actually still missing.”

Hux frowned, but was defeated. Mitaka was right, it was pretty inappropriate to make accusations when the victim’s families didn’t know where their family members were. So Hux conceded, grabbing his sandwich and taking a bite of it, trying to accept that no one was going to believe him.

\---

Hux couldn’t just accept that no one was going to believe him.

Armitage Hux survived a naga attack. He was kidnapped by a creature who had attacked countless others and lived. Hux knew, for a fact, that nagas existed and were out there. 

And he would get his proof.

It had been a few months since the incident, it being more of a slightly scary memory now. But Hux wasn’t scared, never was. Something had stopped the naga Kylo Ren from eating him and Hux not only needed to know why but also get proof that the beast existed. For scientific purposes, as well as showing people that he was right.

That’s why Hux had taken a full week off of work to camp out in the very same forest he was almost killed in. It was after work on Friday when he was making his drive up north, his backpack filled with the necessities and then some. He had his camera to take pictures, a pocket knife, and a flare gun. Hux had also packed a few other important items, just a few human trinkets that he assumed that a creature so separated from human society would at least find interesting such as his tablet, his compass, a toy kaleidoscope, a rubix cube, and absurdly enough, a fidget spinner. He hoped that they were odd enough items that if Kylo did capture him again, he could calm the beast with curiosity. 

Once he arrived to the parking lot, Hux pulled on his backpack and grabbed his cooler full of food before starting to make his walk out. This time, he stayed on the path the whole way. Even if getting lost had lured the beast out, Hux needed to actually set up camp safely so he wouldn’t be attacked by other creatures. 

Hux quickly arrived at the camping site, finding it thankfully unpopulated for the most part. It was getting close to the end of the season after all, no doubt most people were running out of vacation time, and the weather was cooling. But Hux was prepared for everything this trip, so he set up camp and steeled himself for the planned week long stay. 

\---

On Sunday morning, Hux was beginning to believe that this was hopeless. 

Not a single sign of that snake, no flash of black and red scales nor had he seen any human shaped people lurking in the woods. Just deer, squirrels, and fish in the river. Hux wasn’t actually even sure how to lure the beast out as Kylo had come to him last time. Hux tried to spend time down by the creek, but nothing. He did get some nice shots he would hopefully get to use for his next paper about local forests in the state but otherwise this was proving to be a waste of his time.

Hux decided to take a break by the creek again. The water seemed so clear and calm that day, and Hux did need a quick bath to scrub the grime off. As it was Sunday, most of the people whom had showed up for the weekend had already left, so Hux actually felt safe enough to take off all his clothes and take a quick dip. Hux didn’t linger in the water for long, he quickly scrubbed off everything before heading back to shore. 

Hux realized, however, something was very wrong when he didn’t see his clothes where he had left them.

He was positive that he left them on that rock, it was far enough in from the shore that they wouldn’t get wet, but also were easy to get to once he was done. They were just gone, along with his phone, pocket knife, and wallet.

Great, someone stole his stuff. This was a great waste of time, and now an expensive one. And embarrassing since he was about to have to walk through the forest stark naked back to the campsite to get his clothes. Hux grumbled under his breath as he walked onto the shore and shivered in the cool fall air. This wasn’t fair, he just wanted to get a picture of a mythical creature, was that so much to ask?

The ground was not kind to him as he started to make his walk back to camp. His feet were covered in mud, and poked with twigs and rocks, making his feet regret ever coming to the forest. He was grumbling to himself, reminded of the day that Ren had originally grabbed him by the river bank and left him in the middle of the woods without shoes. How cruel. 

Hux almost had a heart attack when he heard a branch snap behind him. His hands impulsively reached to cover his groin as he turned around. There was nothing behind him, he was still alone. Naked and defenseless. Hux rolled his eyes as he turned around, and was promptly met with a human face staring at him upside down.

“Fuck!” He shouted as he fell back on his ass and held his hands in front of his face. He feared the worst seeing another person in the woods with him, but realized almost immediately that a human wouldn’t be staring at him upside down.

Hux opened his eyes to see Kylo Ren, hanging upside down by his tail on a tree branch. He had the biggest, cockiest grin on his face. “Hello Hux,” the beast greeted him.

“What are you-” Hux started, before blushing as he realized he was still very naked and hands reached down to cover his groin. “What are you even doing here?”

“This is my territory, why wouldn’t I be here?” Ren asked, but suddenly was pulling himself back up on the tree branch he had been dangling from. Hux watched the beast’s powerful tail coil around the branch as his human half pulled him towards the trunk and slide down to be on ground level. “Better question, what are you doing here?”

“I-” Hux started, but wasn’t sure how to answer that. He didn’t want to admit he was there to get proof that he existed. But what else could he say? “I’m here to take pictures,” Hux decided on the half truth.

“Pictures?” Ren asked curiously, slithering himself closer to Hux. His pointed ears flicked with attention, his tongue coming out. “What are pictures?”

“Uh,” Hux started, how did someone even describe what a picture was? “It’s like a still image. It’s hard to explain without showing you an example.” 

“Okay,” Kylo replied, looking at Hux curiously. Hux was still on the ground, covering his crotch protectively as the beast got closer. They were almost at the same height with Hux on his ass, but Ren was taller because of the bulk of his tail. “I thought it was strange that you returned here, especially after last time.”

“Yes, well,” Hux started, trying to sit up while covering himself. “Considering you didn’t eat me last time, and aren’t now, I’d say I’m safe.”

“You’re not,” Ren replied simply, looking over Hux’s shoulder towards the creek. “If my neighbor had found you, I don’t think she’d take to you as kindly as I have.”

“N-Neighbor?” Hux asked. 

“There’s another naga who holds the territory past the water, she doesn’t take to humans well. I’m pretty sure she’s eaten more than I have at this point.”

There was another naga. Two fucking nagas in this same forest. “Oh,” Hux’s mouth went dry. He knew he was taking a risk by coming back, but he had expected to be able to talk his way out of trouble again. Ren seemed like a monster but Hux had survived somehow last time. He didn’t think there was an actual chance he could have almost died a second time.

“She stays on her side though,” Ren told Hux, starting to slither around Hux and curl his tail to encircle Hux on the ground. “As long as you stay in my territory, she won’t hurt you.”

“But will you?” Hux asked. He wanted to know where he stood, especially as Kylo casually began to coil around him. 

“No promises,” Kylo replied, dragging out the ‘s’ sounds for emphasis. “Maybe if you let me look at you again, I’ll give you your clothes back.” Kylo replied, making his coils tighten around Hux’s body. He wasn’t really holding Hux in place or coiling him, exactly, but he could, the tail was touching him now.

Then it hit Hux, “You stole my bloody clothes!?” Hux accused, turning to glare at Kylo’s face. He was smiling and flashing his fangs at Hux. “You will give those back right now.”

“Nope,” Ren replied with a smirk. “It took forever for you to take them off where I could actually approach you, I’m not losing this chance.”

“H-How long have you been following me?” Hux accused, glaring at the snake. Kylo’s pupils were fat circles in his eyes, especially as he looked at Hux’s chest with curiosity. Hux did his best to curl in on himself to hide what he could.

“Since you got here, two sunsets ago?” Kylo pondered. “You have a distinctive scent, I was surprised when I picked up on it. Thought I’d never see you again.”

Hux’s face flushed at that. How dare the beast say he smelled! Well, Hux could understand. Kylo’s senses were probably stronger to be fit to hunt. But it seemed absurdly rude for a humanoid creature to say…

“Come on,” Kylo encouraged, hands suddenly coming to grip Hux’s shoulders from behind. “Let me see you so I can give you your clothes back, you feel cold.”

“I am cold,” Hux growled. “I’ll freeze to death if you don’t give them back you imbecile.”

From what Hux could see of Kylo’s face, the man was still coiling him after all, he saw a brief flash of actual concern. But then the grin was back. “Maybe, what are you willing to do in exchange? You did leave them out, after all.”

Hux grumbled angrily to himself. “What do you want from me?” Hux asked, “What can I give you that even interests you? Past seeing my bare chest, freak…”

Ren raised an eyebrow at that, but flicked his tail tip. “I want to see what you have in your shelter,” Ren replied, looking over to where Hux was stationed. “I saw that you brought a lot of things with you. I want to see them, and you tell me what they are.”

So Hux was right, the creature could be controlled by curiosity. “Deal-” Hux began, but Kylo raised a scale covered hand.

“And you have to let me look at you, at some point,” Kylo smiled. 

Hux made a face, he didn’t want to strip naked and be poked around by an animal. Granted, though, Kylo could do that right now. But Hux was freezing and frankly willing to agree to just about anything. “Deal, just give me my damn clothes.”

Kylo smiled, tongue poking out of his lips to flicker just for a second before suddenly he was gone. Kylo moved so fast that it amazed Hux as he was quickly uncoiled and left alone on the ground. Hux briefly saw black and red scales slither up a tree above him, then nothing.

Hux was startled at having his boxers suddenly fall on his head, his shirt following and pants falling down on his lap. Hux grumbled as he pulled the undies off and looked above to see a rather pleased looking Kylo lounging on a tree branch. 

Ridiculous.

\---

“This is a picture,” Hux said as he held up his cell phone and pulled up a random picture from his phone gallery. The two were seated once again in a tree, away from the ground to prevent anyone from seeing them. Hux was thankfully fully dressed now, though was laying on Kylo’s freezing cold tail again. “See how the image is still?”

Kylo’s pupils were fat as he stared at the picture of Hux’s backyard, leaning in close to the phone and flicking his ears. “How is there a tree so small trapped in this thing?” Kylo asked, poking at the screen.

“Careful,” Hux corrected and pushed Kylo’s clawed fingers away from the screen. “You can break the screen with your claws, let me touch it.” Hux swiped to another picture, pulling up a picture of his precious ginger cat, Millicent. “This is my cat, she’s like a pet.”

“What’s a pet? And a cat?” Kylo asked, looking at the orange fluffy cat on the screen. 

“A cat is a feline, like a…mountain lion? You’ve seen those right?” Hux asked to confirm, seeing Kylo nod his head. “A cat is like a mountain lion, but smaller. We keep them as pets. Pets are like animals we keep alive for company.”

“Oh!” Kylo smiled, “So you’re like a pet then?”

“Excuse me,” Hux growled out, glaring at Kylo.

“Well, I didn’t kill you. I’m keeping you around for company, I guess. It’s not like I can get company from anyone else, so you’re like a pet to me.”

“It’s, um. No,” Hux didn’t know what to say. “A pet isn’t able to talk to us, we take care of them and feed them. They’re not on the same level of, I guess, intelligence, like we are?”

Kylo looked at Hux confused, he didn’t seem to get it.

“I’m not your pet,” Hux reiterated.

“Whatever you say,” Kylo replied. “How did you get a mountain lion so small in this device?” Kylo asked, again pointing at the screen but thankfully not touching it. 

“She’s not in there, she’s at my home,” Hux wasn’t really sure how to explain this. “I just take pictures of her. And other things.” Hux looked around and realized how he could show Kylo, and he would get his proof! “Here, let me take a picture of you to show you.” Hux didn’t wait for a response before holding up the phone towards Kylo’s face.

Hux was immediately met with a loud hissing noise.

He almost dropped the phone as the hissing grew louder, Hux managed to hold on and lowered it to look at Kylo. The snake was actually hissing at him, his pointed ears lowered and an angry glare on his face.

“Drop that,” Kylo growled at him, which Hux did, the phone landing on his lap. 

“S-Sorry,” Hux replied hesitantly. “I didn’t mean to scare you-”

“I’m not scared,” Kylo growled back. “You can’t just point weapons at me.”

Weapons? Oh. “It’s not a weapon,” Hux tried to explain. Kylo seemed to relax now that the phone wasn’t pointed towards him. “Are you thinking like a gun?”

“Is that what you humans call the loud things that you kill deer with?” Kylo asked, looking dubiously at Hux.

“Yes,” Hux confirmed. “It’s not a gun, I wouldn’t point a gun at you.” Unless Kylo tried attacking him, in which case the flare gun would come in handy. “This is my phone, it doesn’t hurt people. I’ll do it on myself first, okay?”

Kylo didn’t seem to trust it, but didn’t growl or react when Hux grabbed the phone. Making sure to go slow, Hux opened up the front camera on his phone and positioned himself for a picture. It was awkward smiling for a picture knowing he was being intensely watched by a naga, but he did his best. Once the picture was taken, he slowly turned the phone screen around to show Kylo the still image.

At first Kylo looked at the phone dubiously, before leaning in and examining the screen. Then his pupils got wide. “How did you get this little version of you on this?!” Kylo asked with enthusiasm, obviously completely confused what was going on.

“It’s just a still image, not actually me,” Hux explained. “I can take a video too, watch.” As Kylo watched, Hux turned on the front camera and started a brief video. “See, this is a video Kylo. Say something and it’ll record it,” Hux prompted, hoping Kylo would obey.

Kylo frowned, seemingly still weary of being in picture so he sat away. “What would you want me to say?” he asked curiously.

“That’s perfect,” Hux smiled, ending the video before turning the camera for Kylo to watch the screen. He pressed the play button and let Kylo watch and listen. Kylo’s pupils were so round and fat, Hux could barely see any of his iris. His ears twitched to attention hearing his own voice get played from the phone’s speakers. Once the video ended, Kylo gave the phone back. “Pretty cool, right?”

“Yeah…” Kylo responded, staring at the phone and then back up to Hux. “You made that? The phone?”

Hux looked confused but realized what Kylo meant. “No, another human did. I bought it. Which uh, is like me trading something for it. My skills aren’t in technology, but people trade stuff to me for my photos that I take?” It was really hard to explain having a job and buying things without explaining what money was. But Hux doubted Kylo would understand the complicated system of currency. 

“How many humans are there? How many do you know?” Kylo asked curiously, pulling Hux closer to himself using his tail.

Hux went willingly, knowing he didn’t have much of a choice anyway. “Billions of people. I know a lot, at least over a hundred? It’s hard to tell.”

Kylo turned his head curiously, sticking his tongue out. “I only know of my immediate neighbor, no other nagas come out this way. Do humans not have large territories? Do you live together?”

“Uh,” Hux paused, unsure how to answer the question. “We have small territories because we rely on trade with other humans to get our food. We only live with our, uh, mates? Do you call them that?” Hux didn’t know anything about nagas really…

“We do,” Kylo responded, his ears twitching again. “Do you have a mate that’s protecting your territory while you’re gone?”

What a weird question… “No, I don’t have a mate,” Hux replied, hesitant, unsure what to say. 

“Do other humans not find you attractive?” Kylo asked, his tail shifting on Hux’s body to coil his waist now. Not tight, but it felt more like a hug that Hux couldn’t escape.

 

The question made Hux’s face flush. “They do!” Hux replied, defensive. “I just struggle finding someone interesting myself, plus I’m gay so…”

“Gay?” Kylo asked tilting his head again.

“I like other men,” Hux answered. “Really I’m bi but I prefer men…”

It was like seeing a light bulb appear over Kylo’s head. “Oh!” he replied with a smile. “That’s interesting,” Kylo continued. “Our kind doesn’t really do that, considering we only pair up during mating seasons. What’s it like being with another male?”

Hux really didn’t want to explain homosexuality to a snake man. “It’s the same as being with a female, but with a male. Not too much is different.”

“And human men like you?” Kylo asked. 

“Sometimes?”

“I can understand why,” Kylo said, a hint of blush forming on his cheeks.

Wait…

“You blush purple,” Hux pointed out, staring at the hint of dull purple that spread across Kylo’s cheeks. “Does that mean you have purple blood?”

“Yes,” Kylo replied, the blush deepening. “You humans bleed red, so weird…” There was a pause before Kylo suddenly pulled his tail closer, dragging Hux with him. “It’s cold this time of year.” Kylo seemed to state as he pulled Hux into a full body embrace and coiled him with his tail.

Hux grunted in surprise but went limp in Kylo’s arms. Of course this bratty snake would hug him to sap his heat once again. Hux accepted his fate in the hug, before suddenly realizing that Kylo had just flirted with him. Hux’s own face began to flush with the thought, hiding his face into Kylo’s shoulder. 

Why was that embarrassing Hux? What did it matter if Kylo flirted with him, he may not even realize what it meant. He was just a stupid snake man in a forest who didn’t know any better. Foolish, plus Kylo ate people. Hux was risking his life to be out here and he was blushing like a child over one stupid comment?

The hug didn’t help.

After an awkward amount of time passed, Hux eventually cleared his throat before speaking. “Would you like to see the other things I brought here to show you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks vmp again for the beta <3 
> 
> The next chapter is half done but don't expect an update until mid-May after school is over. Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Please submit all anon hate to [@tezzypants](http://tezzypants.tumblr.com/)
> 
> As always, thanks to [@Vmprsm](http://vmprsm.tumblr.com/) who is a great beta and friend! You should also check out their fics under the same name on ao3!


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